First responders save man's life — and then finish his yard work

published 11 July 2018

When Gene Work of Pasco County, Florida, had a heart attack over the weekend, his health was the last thing on his mind.

Work had been putting down sod in his front yard, trying to get it finished before his homeowner's association fined him, Work's wife, Melissa, wrote on Facebook. When first responders arrived, he kept talking about the sod as he slipped in and out of consciousness, even mentioning it as he was in the ambulance, headed to emergency surgery.

Melissa Work's brother-in-law was helping with the sod that day, and was prepared to spend hours finishing the job, but soon a fire truck and ambulance drove up to the house, and six first responders joined him in the yard. Melissa Work said they knew her husband was in "serious trouble," and wanted to make sure the sod didn't die. "They saved his life, dropped him off, and then cared enough to save our grass," she said. Gene Work is now recovering, and on Tuesday, he reunited with the first responders. "We are just out of words," he said. "I can't believe you guys came back, it's amazing."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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